Known hazards in King County rivers

CAUTION:Boating and river-related recreation is, by its very nature, hazardous and could result in serious bodily injury, damage or loss of equipment or even death. The decision to accept these risks is entirely your own.

This page is intended to provide general information on boating hazards on King County rivers and is no substitute for skill, knowledge or personal judgment. Prior to making any floating or boating trips on the river, routes should be scouted from the shore to learn current channel conditions. Such scouting won't always be possible, however. Riverbank property is often privately owned, and some riverbank property in public ownership is so thickly vegetated that scouting would be difficult.

While warning signs are placed at many of the most hazardous sites, river users should not rely on signage due to frequent vandalism and continuously changing river conditions. Also, please know that rivers are not routinely inspected, and conditions can change without notice.

Cedar River

The Cedar River is no longer closed to in-water recreational use from Maple Valley to Renton, but hazardous areas still exist within this stretch. Below are some sites where caution is advised (updated August 2017):